Back to School

Wow. The house is quiet. Beyond the tapping of the keyboard keys all I can hear is the dog lapping water from her bowl. There's no "Hey! Giveitback! That's mine!" or "I get the back room computer! Called it!"...not even a whispered "Hey, you know what'll drive dad nuts this morning?"

Today is the first day of school. We saw my daughter off at the bus stop this morning for her new adventures in enrichment and then I walked the wee lad up the hill for his first day of Grade 2. Maybe it has to do with the crummy weather we had this summer, but each and every kid I saw today was excited about back to school. There was not a single long face in the crowd, not a teary eye in sight.

What's on my plate for this first, glorious day of the school year? First of all a coffee as I bask in the silence of an empty house. Then I'm going to make a list of what needs to be done, personally and professionally. One of those list items will be this:

I have signed up for the 3 Day Novel contest which commences Friday at mid-night. I have a clear idea of my story, a few main events to push the plot along and some of the characters. I have the setting all mapped out in my head, right down to the creaky plank on the deck of a cabin in the woods. There are some details that I won't snatch out of the air until Friday night, of course. Like the main character's name. I haven't given that any thought at all. With the 3 Day Novel I find that it flows much better if I make it up on the fly. That's worked for me on my previous 2 attempts. I'll be able to let you know on Monday if it holds true this time.

Last time I did this I threw a few blog posts up over the course weekend and I imagine I'll do it again this time, but any time I spend writing blog posts is time I don't spend on the story. For the most part on Labour Day weekend it'll be:

My little corner of the world...

After a whirlwind visit from in-laws from the north with French exchange student in tow, it looks as if summer is finally visiting southern Ontario. I should be writing today, but after putting together a list of things for Patriot and pondering what I could do with The Platinum Ticket, I looked around the house and felt the need to clean. My brief cleaning has given way to writing a blog entry.

Ahhh, procrastination.

After vacation we came home to a lush garden and a yard in need of maintenance. When it was done I took a few minutes - and a few photos - and enjoyed my little corner of the world.

First - a couple of shots of the garden. I can't take any of the credit here. The green thumb belongs to my wife.

Another shot of the garden. Note the strawberry barrel with some of the sweetest everberry strawberries I've ever tasted.

Here's our outdoor dining area. I love the flying saucer look to our gazebo.

And here's the little corner I like best of all. The perfect spot for a little reading, writing, entertaining or just plain procrastinating...

Awww shucks, I guess I'll get back to work now.

Something Mythic...

Interesting day today.

At home with the kids this week (last week they had a day camp that allowed me to get a little work done). With a pair of bright and high-energy kids I have certainly been challenged to keep them busy and interested. More often then not, I fear, I've relied upon the computer and that other electronic teat to keep them entertained. Right now, the boy is watching Rocky and Bullwinkle on the TV as I type - I suppose there's worse stuff he could be watching. My daughter has announced she's bored and has hightailed it upstairs to read. Piano practice and multiplication table review is still on the agenda for this afternoon.

Earlier, as an excuse to get out of the air-conditioning on this humid day, we went Letter Boxing (or, more accurately, Atlasquesting). - Here's the website. We have but a single letter box right in town although I suspect letter boxing's cousin - geocaching - has a couple of treasures locally. We sought out and found Fergus' single box as a diversion and a reason to get in w walk for the dog.

Taking care of the kids makes it difficult to get any actual writing done, but during those blessed times when they occupy themselves or, miracle of miracles, actually play with each other without fighting, I have found time to ruminate upon the 3 Day Novel Contest.

The entry form has been sitting on the printer's output tray for a few days now. I've walked by it but haven't been of a mind to fill it out. Yesterday and today I've let a story that's been rattling around in my head for a couple of years take centre stage. I've been considering a beginning that, in my mind at least, works. I have even formed a few scenes in my mind's eye. The thing, however, that made me grab that entry form and fill it out was an almost continuous string of dialogue that was going through my head for the last few days. It's very good dialogue.

So - barring any illness or emergencies between now and Labour Day Weekend, I will be participating in the 3Day Novel Contest this year. I won't disclose too much right now but I'm thinking something Mythic and Psychological set in the wilds of Northern Ontario.

Gotta go - my daughter has found a remote control train that I was sure had "accidentally" found the garbage long ago. I can hear the annoying electronic whistle and it threatens to drive me mad...